


Love Is Organic

by CardboarianNights



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: 'oh no he's cute', Amnesia AU, Amnesiac Gabriel Reyes, Farmer!Jack, Hilarious misunderstandings, I have no idea how crop insurance works, Love, M/M, Mystery, Omnic Crisis Era, PTSD, Romance, Wholesomeness, but that doesn't happen here, or farming in general, pretty sure there are Scifi and horror movies that could follow the premise, slowish burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 23:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14343078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CardboarianNights/pseuds/CardboarianNights
Summary: Jack is rounding up the soybean harvest when half of a dropship lands in his field. The next day, it seems like the event was just mysteriously swept under the rug, and a handsome, but injured man is randomly making breakfast in his kitchen.A wholesome amnesia AU where Gabriel ends up with a farmer as his future husband.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know anything about farming.
> 
> Also, Jack totally grows soybeans. It's Indiana, not Iowa.

It was like something out of a movie for Jack Morrison as he was out bringing in the soy harvest from the driver’s seat of his combine harvester. He had his earbuds in with music filling the void as he made each calculated turn going up and down the lines of soybean stalks without over or under shooting the corners when a burning drop ship fell from the sky.

Debris scattered as the ship literally fell to pieces in the air as it drew in closer to the ground; A testimony Jack would only find out about later, from witness reports on the news that evening. He was definitely pulled out of his daze when the Earth itself shook from the front half of the ship plowing right into the unharvested part of the Morrison family field.

Jack quickly put his combine into park before shutting it down, pulling out the keys as he got up and turned around in his seat to see the black smoke rising out in the field. His heart was pounding in his chest from adrenaline as he quickly stuffed the keys into his pocket and jumped out of the combine to the ground, crushing several stocks of soybean while he took off in a hurry to the twisted metal wreckage. He pulled out his music player and turned the thing off, stuffing the earbuds and device into his jean pockets as he continued to push through the thick, unharvested soybean stocks. Jack wasn’t worried about the profit loss he was taking by stomping through the fields, he knew a military dropship when he saw one and that meant that lives were at stake, especially if the dried soybean crop around the wreckage caught on fire. 

He was panted hard in his mad dash, glad he wore jeans and his coat for this because he would have been sliced up by the dried out stalks with how desperate he was pushing through the field. Jack dug out his phone from his pocket and dialed 911 as he got closer to the wreckage. He reached the clearing a few moments later as he put his smart phone to his ear and heard it connect to the operator.

“911, what’s your emergency?” The operator answered in a calm voice.

“H-Hello!” Jack wheezed as he came to a stop, leaning over his knees with one hand on them to support his upper body while he panted hard. “Fire in the fields-! A flying vehicle crash-!” He started listing off the details the emergency operator needed to send out a dispatch and help guide him as he looked at all the twisted metal and smashed glass up in flames. 

“Are you the owner of the property the incident occurred on, Sir?”

“Yes! Yes, I am!”

“Can you see or hear anyone inside of the ship from where you are standing?”

“I… I don’t know…?” Jack offered, unsure if he should act on impulse to approach the inferno any closer. 

“Does your field have built-in irrigation equipment?” The operator asked, making Jack’s panic stricken mind actually think through the chaos in front of him.

“Yes! I don’t know if the underground sprinklers are damaged in this quadrant though!”

“Sir, please stay calm. You’re doing a good job. If you have a way to remotely activate the sprinklers, please do so now.” The operator instructed.

Jack pulled the phone away from his ear and minimized the calling app, without hanging up on the operator, pulling up the app he had on his phone for some of the farming equipment to activate the sprinklers in the quadrant. He set the power to maximum and almost jumped as water bursted out of the ground around him at his feet when the sprinklers push up and through the ground to scatter the water at full force. The setting was meant to put out field fires during a dry spell but he wasn’t so sure if accidents like this could be mitigated with the irrigation system. His clothing was soaked as he pulled up the phone app again and put the smart phone in his coat sleeve before bringing it up to his ear.

“Sprinklers are working and I think the flames are going down.” He spoke to the operator, blood and adrenaline pounding in his ears as the slight chill in the air was slowly starting to get to him through his soaked clothing.

“Please leave the sprinkler system running until the authorities arrive, Sir. Can you see or hear anyone inside of the vehicle now?”

Jack walked quickly around the perimeter of the drop ship, moving towards the front where the pilots would be sitting and found someone in blue armor and a matching helmet flopped over in the pilot’s seat. “Yes! I see someone! Tell the EMTs to hurry!” He pleaded into his phone, doing his best to keep the water from ruining his smart phone by bringing his other hand up to cup the side that might be exposed to the water scattering about. 

The operator took a moment to come back. “I have alerted the local authorities, Sir. Please continue to observe from a safe distance until help arrives. ETA in five minutes.”

Jack swallowed hard at that as he practically jogged in place with his phone pressed against his cheek, trying to keep himself warm as the sprinklers continued to do their job in keeping the fire under control the best it could. He was going to take a nice hot bath after the emergency crew showed up, and then make some hot chili to warm up his insides. Fuck, his stomach was growling as Jack began walking circles around the wreckage, his socks absolutely soaked and making him more miserable by the second while he trudged through the mud the soil became. He kept wiggling his toes to keep the numbness at bay while keeping an eye on the unconscious (?) person in the craft.

Sure enough, the sirens Jack could hear on the wind grew louder as they came roaring down the two lane road. The fire truck equipped with special tires to allow for traction taking the lead as the ambulance with a similar set up followed in, the fire truck plowing over more of the harvest to get to the source of the blaze. The ambulance came to a halt before the area that was saturated in water from the sprinklers, likely not trusting the tires they had equipped to keep them from sinking into the mud. The fire truck pulled up a safe distance in the soak zone that it wouldn’t be hit if the drop ship exploded, one of the firefighters rushing over with a waterproof blanket to wrap around Jack as he finished up the call with the 911 operator. He followed the first responder’s request to turn off the sprinkler system as the other members of his team started dousing the flames the sprinklers could not reach with the hose. 

Jack’s fingers were pale and numb as he pulled up the remote app and shut down the quadrant’s sprinklers, making them go back down to their idle positions under the ground. His teeth were chattering as one of the EMTs took over assisting Jack while the others waited with a mobile stretcher for the firemen to control the rest of the blaze.

He was led over to a spot to sit on the fire truck since the ground was soaked and shoved his phone back into his pocket so he could properly pull the blanket over his body. Police were jogging over to the scene, one taking note on the state of the field and the torn up dropship, another one heading over to Jack and the EMT helping him warm up with hand-warming packets while the others went to secure the scene. 

A policewoman came over to start interviewing Jack, taking down his name, address, and the like before starting to ask him some basic questions about the accident - what he saw, what he heard, what he did, etc. A whole lot of questioning when Jack wanted nothing more than to go inside, strip down and take a hot bath for the next ten years. The EMT was doing his best to provide assistance to Jack to keep his body comfortable with a steady stream of hand-warmers to hold. He was in the middle of answering a question about his conversation with the 911 operator about the sprinklers when he saw the two EMTs from before carry a body covered by a white sheet between them on the stretcher. Jack felt pity twist his insides, wanting to have done more to have helped the person he saw in the wreckage but understood that it was too dangerous for him to try to do anything in his situation. 

When the questioning was over, Jack declined to go to the hospital and instead head back to his home to wait for the investigation to be over, reminding himself to bring the combine back into the storage barn once the police gave him the all clear sign to move it. Jack had to walk a good ten minutes back to the main house and locked the door behind him once he got inside. He knelt down and quickly untied his boots, practically kicking them away from his feet before he yanked off his soaked socks. His feet were wrinkled and numb as he got up from the floor to head upstairs to where the nice bathroom was after his parents renovated the house ten years ago to put in rooms on the second floor when it was originally just a huge attic.

The stairs creaked under Jack’s weight as he practically jogged up the steps to the bathroom, stripping off his clothing in the hallway since he was the only one living in the house. He was naked by the time he hustled into the bathroom, closing the door, and flipped on the lights. The small bathroom had a nice tub in it that Jack rushed over to plug up before pulling on both faucet handles to blast both cold and hot water into the tub. He wanted it filled ASAP as he grabbed one of the fluffy towels hanging on the wall and wrapped it around his shivering body. Jack would adjust the temperature of the tub once it was at least halfway filled to make it warmer then would immediately slip in to relax in the warmth.

He dropped the towel around himself unceremoniously to the tiled floor and climbed in once the temperature was adjusted, sighing in bliss as the warm water wrapped itself around him like the thickest blanket in the winter time. Using his feet to push the faucet handles back into the off position, Jack was glad for his height for once even though he had to bend his knees in the tub if he wanted to lay down enough to submerge everything but his head. Having shorter parents didn’t do him many favors when they remodeled the second floor, and they didn’t exactly factor in that they might want to retire to Florida when getting everything furnished, leaving their youngest son to deal with a house not quite fit for his height. Eh, whatever, the whole house was paid off and that meant one less huge bite out of his paycheck at the end of the month.

Speaking of ‘paycheck’...

Jack grumbled as he held his breath and slipped under the warm water, letting his sore ear lobes get the direct warmth they needed from being out in the cold and soaked in frigid water. He wouldn’t be surprised if he lost the majority of that quadrant plus a good quarter of the ones to the south of it from the emergency vehicles plowing through it. Jack grumbled and ran a hand through his blonde hair as his head was running all the hypothetical numbers. He breached the surface of the water and groaned as he laid his head back against the back of the tub lid. Damage assessment was going to be a huge pain in the ass tomorrow since there was no way he would be able to do surveying with all the wreckage crews coming in and out to clear up the mess and causing more loss. Jack was going to have to find out who owned the drop ship and demand a settlement if his insurance company wouldn’t make up for the crop loss.

Hopefully the ship didn’t belong to a shitty mercenary group or something because there was no way in hell he was going to be able to recoup his losses if they disappear off the map.

He did genuinely feel bad for whoever lost their lives in that crash though. Jack would definitely say a prayer or two for them, regardless of the financial limbo he was in right now. The fall harvest was what usually determined if he would have to sell off a large animal or two to the slaughter house in order for him to be set for winter, and have money to plant crops when spring comes. He’d rather not sell anymore of his cows or goats after selling the last horse, Margo, he had on the property, losing another good companion in the process. That was probably the roughest winter he went through emotionally after losing Shepard, the family dog, to old age, two years ago…

Hopefully, Margo was doing well since he hasn’t heard back from her new owner in a while now.

Jack forced his eyes shut and pushed the depressing thoughts out of his head. He was a farmer now and he didn’t have the luxury to hold onto animals as companions, even if they did provide goods like milk and fertilizer for hims to make use of. His mother always said that his kind heart would bring him the most pain when he runs into bad harvest years and now he finally felt that after signing away ownership of his animals every once and awhile. He sat up in the water and reached for the toiletries bin that was hooked along the side of the tub. As nice as lying in a tub of hot water was, he remembered that he couldn’t just sit around without guilt or negatives thoughts coming to intrude. Jack quickly washed his hair and body in the bath before rinsing off, there was always something to fix up in the house or clean, after all.

After getting changed around into a new pair of jeans, wool socks, and a sweater, Jack gathered up his wet clothing to toss into the hallway hamper after retrieving his phone, earbuds, and mp3 player. He put his music stuff away in his room before checking his phone to make sure it was still working after that whole fiasco. Sure enough, the old thing was operating like a charm, making Jack smile enough to lift the scar on his lips before tucking it back into his pocket. 

Jack headed downstairs with his hair wrapped in a towel wrap since he didn’t want to deal with wet hair after everything that happened outside in the last hour. It felt good having wool socks on as he walked across the stained wood floor to head into the kitchen, Jack eager to snack on some crackers as he started to gather the ingredients to make some homemade chili. Once he was done cooking and feeding himself, Jack packed up the rest of the chili into tupperware containers that were freezer-friendly and put one into the freezer while leaving the other in the fridge for lunch tomorrow. He then cleaned up the pot and dishes he used, leaving them to dry overnight in the strainer by the sink before just washing and drying his hands. There was plenty of other things around the house he could clean and touch up before heading off to bed, the TV playing the local news in the background as Jack continued to ignore the doorbell ringing, knowing exactly who it would be if he opened it up.

‘--Authorities are scarce with details as to who the drop ship belongs to and what caused it to plummet into this field here. Witnesses reported an explosion engulfing the drop ship around 4:30pm, causing it to break apart during its descent. So far, no one has come forward to claim the ship and any chance at identifying the origins of this shuttle has yet to be found.’

Jack rolled his eyes as the reporter continued to report nothing really of value while he pushed a dust collecting mop over his hardwood floor. All he really learned about was an explosion happening but the report failed to list any fatalities or injuries for some reason. Was a cover up going on or was it simply too early for any real details to be made public? It made it all the more tragic that he let himself remain idle when he could have helped someone in the wreckage…

‘--In other news today, the UN has reported the destruction of the Midwest Omniu-’

Jack turned the TV to a music channel, not wanting to hear more about the Omnic Crisis. It always felt like the fight was a million miles away from him and his farm and he wanted to keep it that way. The omnics had a good reason to fight for their rights but it was painful to hear what the god programs had done to override the will of neutral omnics, removing choice from them like humans did. He wasn’t going to be the one to solve anything so he’ll just keep quiet and just harvest like he’s done year after year.

He went to bed earlier than he usually did due to how shitty he felt, feeling no better distracting himself from the world around himself with cleaning.

\--

Jack woke up to the smell of eggs and ham as he pushed himself out of bed. He felt his stomach growl almost painfully as he pulled on a hoodie from how chilly it was in the house; not wanting to start paying for heating until he couldn’t stay warm in just his coat, sweats, and socks. Jack walked out from the master bedroom in a tired daze and headed down the steps, not really knowing why his older sister came home to make breakfast without sending him a text. It really was appreciated though after all the shit he went through yesterday and Jack knew she was always a worry wart under that tough guy exterior she put on.

He stepped into the kitchen with his hands tucked into his front hoodie pocket, yawning as he pulled out one of the chairs at the table with his foot before flopping down into it. He knew better than to ask if his sister wanted help with how anal she could be with making breakfast and noticed today’s paper on the table. Jack smiled a little bit as he reached forward to drag it over to himself and unfolded it to see the destroyed Midwest Omnium on the front page before frowning. 

Right. 

That happened yesterday as well...

“Thanks for bringing the paper in and making breakfast. It’s going to be hell doing damage assessment and getting the insurance guys over to actually do something for once with what money I have to pay them every year.” He sighed heavily as he flipped past the front page to try to find something else interesting to read other than the Omnic Crisis.

A plate containing two sunny side-up eggs, two pancakes, and some diced ham was placed in front of him along with the appropriate silverware before a chair was dragged out perpendicular to Jack at the tablet. A rather masculine-sounding voice let out an exhausted grumble before a plate and silverware were set down. 

Did Caroline have mono again?

Jack lowered his newspaper to look at his sister and realized that it wasn’t his sister at all. His eyes snapped open as he realized there was a heavily injured man sitting at the table beside him, one eye swollen shut, in a torn up turtle neck with blood and mud staining the fabric. The guy looked like he was in a nasty brawl until Jack’s eyes saw the charred and twisted up blue armor that laid on his counter, making Jack bolt away from the table, knocking over his chair in the process. 

“You-! You got out of that crash alive?!” 

The man looked over at Jack, one pupil blown wide as he casually brought a fork full of diced ham to his mouth. Jack felt himself panic for a moment at the sight before realizing it was signs of a bad concussion and stumbled over his toppled chair to go into the kitchen. He pulled out a ziplock bag and opened the freezer, filling it with ice cubes before closing the door, and sealing the bag shut. Jack made sure to wrap a clean hand towel from one of the drawers around the bag and walked back over, setting it down carefully beside the injured man. 

“Do I wanna know why you are in my house and making breakfast?” Jack asked calmly, not sure what this overly muscular, injured man would be capable of when he was clearly not in the right state of mind to be doing anything.

“I’m hungry…?” The man offered, slightly confused as to why Jack was even asking the question in the first place.

Jack just stared at the goatee-sporting man for a good second before glancing back over at the armor on the kitchen counter. “...You going to cause trouble in my house?”

The man paused for a long moment before shaking his head. “No reason to.”

“Put all your weapons on the table and I’ll take your word on it.” Jack spoke firmly, watching in amazement as the man swallowed the eggs he was eating before pushing his chair back to started placing weapons he had concealed onto the table like Jack asked. 

The guy wasn’t even concerned at all as he put tactical knife after 9mm pistol onto the table, three of each laying down at the end before he scooted himself forward with his chair to resume eating breakfast like it was no big deal. Jack was just stumped with all of this as he gathered up the weapons without the guy even batting an eyelash at him in concern.

Was it really just the concussion that was making him so docile and relaxed or was he just that confident in his ability to pull one over on Jack should things go south?

Jack went upstairs to lock the weapons up in the gun box hidden in his closet before going back downstairs to find the man sleeping with his arms crossed on the table, his plate completely cleaned off. He was pretty sure the man piled a huge amount of eggs and pancakes on his plate, not something any normal human could polish off in that short amount of time. It was kind of unsettling.

But, now that the stranger was down and out for the time being, Jack got to work in figuring out how the guy got into his house in the first place. He always locked up before going to bed every night and has had the windows closed and locked for the past week due to the cold. Jack’s stomach protested his brain and body being operational without sustenance though and he picked his chair back up to eat the meal the stranger made at the table while it was still warm. He hummed in approval of how the man seasoned the eggs and diced ham, finding himself scarfing it down reverently while also reminding himself to ask the man what he put in it. After applying a heaping helping of syrup to his pancakes, Jack made quick work of them while also laying out the newspaper to see if there was more information about the crash in his field. Strangely enough, though, there was no mention of it at all in the national newspaper, not even a blurb…

Jack frowned at that as he remembered the covered body passing by him while he sat with the EMT and was interviewed by the police officer. No mention of the crash or further details about who owned the drop ship, much less a mention in the obituary when Jack flipped to it out of curiosity. 

That meant that the ship wasn’t local…

His blue eyes glanced over at the snoozing man with dried blood caked in his short black hair along with the plethora of cuts and burns all over his visible skin. 

How did he survive the crash, much less not get found in the wreckage by emergency services? Did he fall into the field somewhere further out and was unconscious during the whole thing? What the hell was that dropship doing anyways with guys like this one at his table armed to the teeth in military gear and weapons? Was he just a mercenary…?

Jack smelled something suspicious in the air from how all of this was just swept under the rug and picked up the remote on the table to turn on the TV, flipping through many local news channels to see if there were any report updates. 

Nothing.

A lot of the usual reports on the local harvest was going along then updates on how the local county fair was coming together since that would be a thing in a week. It made Jack wonder if calling an ambulance or driving this guy to the hospital might just getting the man erased as well.

That fear alone, and his inability to help someone in need at the crash site, prompted him to turn off the television after finishing up his breakfast. He then left the dishes for later as he went upstairs to get his phone and make a call.


	2. Wholesome Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The good doctor shows up along with some insurance agents.
> 
> Mystery guy becomes 'John Doe'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fyi i really dont know how crop insurance works.
> 
> Special thanks to coela for telling me what NOT to do when someone has a concussion. LOL

It was just after 2pm when the insurance agents came over to assess the damage to Jack’s field, a copy of the police report in his hand after stopping by the local precinct once Angela Ziegler, his family doctor, came over to look over ‘John Doe’ with her assistant.

Mr. Mystery Soldier had a broken arm, a few bruised ribs, second degree burns peppering his skin, and ‘trauma/stress-induced amnesia’ according to Angela’s texts as Jack continued to walk about the damaged field with the sharks of the insurance agency. Jack frowned at that as his pity for his injured guest continued to grow, glancing up to keep an eye on the agents he was following while they critically looked at the police report he gave them and the giant, charred hole where the front half of the drop ship landed. 

Another text from Angela thankfully distracted him from his thoughts of John coming out from the missing half of the torn up drop ship some distance away from his property. Who knows what kind of a terrifying walk in the dark John made before finding Jack’s house...

Angela: He wants to use your shower and then lay down, Jack.

Jack pondered for a few moments before he started texting Angela back.

Jack: He can use the first floor bathroom since that has a shower, and he can use my parents old room to sleep in. It’s the largest bedroom on the first floor, two doors down the hall from the bathroom.

Angela: Okay. He’ll need clothing as well. You have any old clothes he can wear?

Jack: Yeah, dad left some clothes behind in the room. How is he doing? You still feel comfortable?

Angela: Jack, I’m not ten anymore and Amelie is more than capable of knocking him out without needing a needle. 

Angela: John is rather nice. He’s just upset that he can’t remember anything about himself other than he’s from California. 

Angela: Also, you REALLY should not have let him go to sleep if his eye was dilated. I’m surprised he is as cognitive as he is with his head injury...

Crap. Would he have died if the goddess of luck wasn’t smiling down on this guy already? He never really dealt with someone with a concussion on that level before, much less gave them medical assistance. Jack was definitely going to pull Angela aside later once they were done here.

Angela: Anyways, Amelie gave him a small notebook so he could write down his thoughts as they come to him, figured it might help him organize himself.

Jack: Alright. Text me if anything else comes up.

Angela: Lunch, when you’re done, would be nice.

Jack felt a smile lift the corners of his lips.

Jack: Sure thing. You might be repaying a favor to me but I’m not going to let you go home hungry.

Angela: Alright. See you when you’re done.

Jack tucked his phone back into his pocket before walking back up to the agents surveying and snapping pictures of the hole and surrounding damage to the soybean stock. They were holding their cards close to their chest and quietly talking to each other rather than actively engaging Jack. If only there were more insurance companies that dealt with farms and crops then he wouldn't put up with this kind of shit when he pays them every three months and then shit like this happens. He hated thinking little of these guys but he’s been through worse with these insurance agents when he had a shitty dry season two years back that affected his total harvest amount. They could be real penny pinchers.

“Awfully fast clean up for an aircraft crash.” One of the men remarked as he eyed the hole curiously before looking back at the police report in his hand. “The report from the police is rather bare bones as well.”

Jack knew they were going to bring up that point. Goddamnit.

“It was half of a drop ship. If you think there’s something fishy about this whole thing then say it.” Jack spoke, not wanting to play games when he had hungry mouths to feed back at the house.

“It’s way too clean of a situation, Mr. Morrison.” The agent with the camera spoke up as he snapped another picture of the hole from another angle. “We tried looking up news reports before coming over here but there’s nothing that supports a flying vehicle smashing into your field.”

“There was a live report on channel 7 about thirty minutes after the crash landing! Call the station if you want proof that it was covered by a credible news source!” Jack insisted firmly, understanding that the whoever was covering this whole thing up might have put a gag order on the station and purged the recordings of the incident. “Also, what about my 911 call and the testimonials from the emergency responders? I can't make any of that up if I wanted to!”

The agent with the police report frowned at that, giving Jack a surprisingly empathetic look. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll make some calls to see if I can get more on this. It’s one thing to detonate machinery in a crop you were harvesting but it’s another if the police were sloppy in their report if a crash really did occur. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, Mr. Morrison.” He informed Jack in an almost complete one-eighty from just a moment prior.

“I- You’ll really do that for me?” Jack asked, a bit taken back by the sudden offer to investigate the situation more thoroughly, especially after how critical the agent was just a moment before.

“It’s mostly because I think I watched that broadcast and didn't think it was related to this one. I just watched a few minutes and then switched channels. I just want to make sure I'm not misremembering things, is all.” He clarified for Jack, probably covering his own ass if Jack somehow dug up more proof later to hit him with. Smart.

They spent the thirty minutes talking and decided to put off making an offer until the agents did more digging, much to Jack’s relief. He walked with the men back to their car to wish them well on their investigation before heading back to the house; more than ready for a late lunch.

He pulled open the front door and entered the house, kneeling down to untie his boots before taking them off and putting them on the shoe rack. His eyes went to the two pairs of high heels sitting beside Jack’s boots, making him smile at the visible proof that he had people over for once. 

Jack rose up with a groan and cracked his lower back before walking over through the living room and into the kitchen/dinning area where Angela, Amelie, and John were sitting together, digging into a bag of chips. Angela looked over at Jack sheepishly, a cute pink flush on her cheeks as Jack smirked at her in amusement. 

“You say you aren't ‘ten’ anymore but still pull the chips right out of the pantry without asking, huh?” He grinned, making Amelie snicker as she looked over at her boss, and received a pouty scowl from Angela in return. 

Jack headed into the room and then took a right into the connecting kitchen, smiling as he made eye contact with John. The man was all cleaned up and covered in a few bandages with the biggest change being his arm in a brand new cast, strung up comfortably with a blue arm sling hanging from his neck. “You’re looking better, John.”

John seemed confused for a moment before realizing Jack was talking to him. “Oh. Thanks.” He sheepishly spoke before looking down at the table with a troubled frown, probably not at all happy that he forgot his own name and was staying in a place surrounded by complete strangers.

Jack felt a great need to help John feel more comfortable, even if it was just temporary relief. He placed his hands on the counter, the armor long since hidden in one of the closets upstairs in a few boxes, and cleaned before looking at the eager faces sitting at his table. “Alright! I don’t have much but you can bet I’ll give you a feast fit for a king regardless!” He grinned confidently to his audience. “I got pork, tofu, chicken for the main course, plenty of rice, potatoes, romaine lettuce, black olives, banana peppers, tomatoes, onions and yams for the hungry. Plenty of spices as well, salt not included!” He winked playfully, drawing an amused chuckle from John and Amelie for that.

“He’s lying, by the way. He has plenty of salt.” Angela informed them with a smug smile.

Jack groaned at that as he brought a hand to his forehead. “Angela… I cook with more than salt, okay? They don't know that though.”

John quirked a brow at Jack. “Tofu?”

Jack chuckled at that as he looked back at John. “Yeah. Tofu is a soy-based product and I like trying new things when it’s available; Even way out here in the sticks.” He informed John before looking back at everyone else. “Anyways, everyone ready for a good ol’ fashioned late afternoon lunch?”

“I am!” Angela excitedly raised her hand, getting a curious look from Amelie beside her. “W-what? It’s just a habit…” Angela mumbled in embarrassment as she twiddled her index fingers together sheepishly.

“I know you said that Jack Morrison was a childhood friend but this is rather revealing of a very platonic relationship with his parents more than anything, Angela.” Amelie snickered in amusement, making Angela huff haughtily at her nurse.

“Looks like someone was watching too many romance movies instead of keeping her head in reality!” 

Amelie shrugged her shoulders casually at that. “You’re right. I should have picked up on your true relationship with the Morrisons, as a whole, the moment you found his spare house key and laughed nervously when you realized you were going straight into the kitchen instead of finding our patient.” She grinned teasingly, making Jack laugh out loud as Angela’s face flushed up even more than it already was. 

“Stop laughing, Jack!!” She demanded as she slapped her hands down on the table.

“Can I tell my mother about this? She’s gonna cry so hard from the nostalgia!” Jack snickered as he slowly took his phone out of his pocket to tease Angela even more.

“No! No! Please stop!” Angela whined before burying her tomato red face into her palms, Jack smoothly sliding the phone right back into his pocket as he chuckled.

“Alright, alright, Folks! Enough with the roasting of the good doctor. What will be your orders?” Jack smiled as he clapped his hands eagerly together.

\--

Jack sat down next to John at the table after he finished setting down his and John’s plates, a delicious honey-glazed chicken with herbal rice and steamed vegetables since John just wanted to go with whatever Jack was having. Amelie and Angela opted for breaded, baked chicken with seasoned mashed potatoes and a small salad since they figured they might as well eat a filling lunch before going back to work. It felt good to have more people sitting down at his dinner table for once, even if the circumstances weren’t exactly ideal.

John seemed to relax a bit as he picked up his fork and started digging into the sweet-smelling chicken since Jack cut up everything for him beforehand. Jack watched from the corner of his eyes as he took a bite from it and saw the way John’s eyes widened for a moment as the flavor hit him. John then nodded his head in silent approval as his eyes seem to glaze over. He continued to happily eat his meal with no hesitation as Jack chuckled softly and followed John’s lead. 

The chicken was perfect with the right amount of moisture in the meat without being undercooked and the sweet glaze complementing it without overwhelming the natural flavor. It took forever for Jack to figure out the proper timing and ingredient amount for the glaze, sprinkling a bit of shredded cheese on top to hardened just slightly in the last few minutes in the oven to add a smidge of crispy saltiness to balance with the glaze. He hummed happily as he filled his belly, making sure to give John seconds when he sheepishly glanced back at the two remaining breasts in the pan on the stove.

The man could certainly eat, that’s for sure!

John ended up eating three servings of herbal rice, vegetables and two chicken breasts when they were all finished. The healing man embarrassed by how much he consumed when Angela worried over him, fearful of John getting an upset stomach. 

“I’m fine, Doctor! Really!” John chuckled nervously as Jack got up and started stacking their cleaned off plates while he went around the table.

Angela was out of her seat and looking John over from head-to-toe after she pulled John’s chair away from the table with incredible strength since the guy probably was two hundred pounds of pure muscle alone. ‘Doctor mode’ was really something else to witness as he carried the four plates, two bowls, and the used utensils over to the sink counter to set down.

Jack took the sink plug and set it in the drain before letting the water from the faucet start filling it. He popped the dish soap cap up and squeezed in a proper amount for the dishes and pans he had, opening up the cabinet under the sink to pull out the dish strainer to set on the opposing counter. 

“Are you absolutely sure you are not feeling nauseous, Mr. Doe?” Angela prodded insistently. “Vomiting will not help you one bit in aiding your recovery.”

John carefully slipped his arm into the blue sling with Angela’s assistance, Jack noticing how small his father’s clothing was on the man’s muscular frame. The blue and white fabric of his father’s pyjama shirt stretched taut over bulging muscles, the sleeves trimmed off entirely to allow those huge biceps room to flex. He was only able to get two of the bottom buttons on the shirt to hold close but there was considerable strain on said-buttons that John might just pop off from breathing incorrectly. 

Jack forbid his eyes from going any further, knowing that he was probably wearing uncomfortably tight pyjama pants, feeling pretty bad for John in his situation. The Morrison men certainly weren't string beans but John had a ridiculously fit body! He would definitely need to make a trip to the store to grab a few pairs of larger sweats for his guest. 

He took out his phone from his pocket and added it to his shopping list, figuring it would be better to go out once he was done washing the dishes and had John situated. Jack guessed the man would likely be ordered back to bed to sleep since that would make sense. A guy suffering from amnesia and several injuries needed to be sleeping rather than sitting at the dinner table eating. Why Angela didn't just have him eat in bed was beyond him, she knew where they kept the bed tray holder anyways. 

Jack tucked his phone back away after saving his updated shopping list and got to work on scrubbing the plates and silverware. 

“Allow me to help.” Amelie spoke as she took a freshly scrubbed down plate from Jack’s hand when he went to rinse it off, lightly shoving him out of the way as she lifted the faucet handle to get the water going.

“You don’t have to-”

Amelie leaned over close as she rinsed the dish off and placed it side up in the dish strainer. “Where did you find this man?” She whispered to Jack, keeping an eye out on Angela and John talking while the doctor finally took a seat to make light talk with him.

Jack felt a bit uncomfortable with the question as he remembered white cloth covering an unnamed body passing in front of him and looked back at Amelie with a smile to try to cover it up. “Found him wandering in the field this morning. Why?” He whispered in return as he passed her another scrubbed down plate.

Amelie glanced at him critically before washing off the plate under the running water. “You see how he is built, the armor we had to pry off him. He is not just some lost lamb who wandered into a farmer’s field after a car accident. We would have heard something about that. How do you know he’s not attached to some malicious elements?”

Jack grimaced at that. “What makes you assume he’s trouble?” He passed her another dish before getting to work on submerging the last plate and scrubbing it.

“Why did you have insurance agents surveying that huge hole in your field?” 

Annnnd she hit the nail on the head…

“...He’s not a bad guy.” Jack murmured back to her before passing her the plate to rinse off, getting to work on both of the salad bowls in the soapy water.

Amelie huffed quietly at that. “Forgive me if you think I am presumptuous about how well you know your ‘friend’ if we are calling him ‘John Doe’ on his medical record, Mr. Morrison.” She remarked sarcastically under her breath, making Jack purse his lips in annoyance at how well she was connecting the dots. 

“He is a patient of yours, why are you making such a big deal about him if it doesn't help you treat him?” He countered quietly as he shook off the excess water on the bowl before handing it over to Amelie, tempted to just shove it in her hands but resisted out of respect for Angela. She was the one who would have to deal with a nurse that had soap sud stains all over her shirt, assuming they did that anyways.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m more worried about the ones who will come looking for him. Mr. Doe does not remember anything that will be helpful in letting us know if we should skip town or not.”

Jack looked back at her in shock as he was just about to move away to get the baking pan off the stove top. “You- Angela is actually-? But she seems so relaxed around him.” He objected quietly in concern. “Why would anyone go after you guys anyways?”

Amelie rinsed off the bowls and slotted them neatly in the strainer. “Of course she won't show her fear. She thinks we will be fine but is very much concerned about you and Mr. Doe. I’m of the opinion that he is connected to rather unsavory business if he has to wear military-grade armor on American soil, and was THAT injured to need medical intervention but also feeling well enough now to be moving about.” She remarked quietly before looking at Jack firmly. “What about this seems smart enough to handle by yourself? Take him to the hospital and pray his employer or enemies do not come looking for you.”

Jack decided to leave the conversation at that as he watched Amelie take a hand towel to dry off her hands and set it back on the counter before walking back over to the table to help Angela escort their patient back to his room. They were on either side of John as they helped him stand up on his shaky legs, the man instructed to place one arm over each of their shoulders before they helped slowly walk him back to the hallway, disappearing behind the corner. Jack let out a heavy sigh as he hung his head low, trying to figure out why he didn't want to take the safe and sane advice, especially with all the evidence of the crash being wiped from public records.

What came to mind was the sight of a pilot keeled over in burning wreckage, Jack doing the right thing by keeping his distance, and the haunting image of the white sheet passing by once again in an endless loop. No mention in the daily paper or hungry journalists hounding his front step for an interview. The insurance agent pondering if he saw the live news coverage last night and his promise to check up on it. A bare bones police report in his own hands. The enlarged pupil of an injured man looking at him after serving them both a huge, hearty breakfast - A man who turned over an arsenal of concealed weapons without a thought and his honest disinterest in causing Jack trouble…

Jack shook his head and grabbed the baking pan to submerge it in the soapy water, going at it hard with a scrubbing brush to get his mind off the issue.

\--

Angela hugged Jack tightly and thanked him for lunch, Amelie giving him a curt nod of her head to be polite while eyeing him knowingly as they got ready to leave at the front door. Angie left him with extra wrappings, pain medicine, and topical ointment for John’s wounds along with written instructions to better care for him. She planned on checking up on them in three days unless things changed and Jack needed her in sooner. 

Jack had an idea why she said that as he nodded his head and walked both of them to their car on the gravel driveway. He wished them both well and promised to text Angie if he had further questions.

With a heavy, conflicted heart, Jack walked back into the house and locked the front door behind him. He makes it a point to check the rest of the locks on the windows and doors on the first and second floor before getting his car keys and wallet. Jack left to go shopping after peeking into John’s room and hearing the man’s soft snores as he slipped away the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! More cute interactions! Angela and Jack were really fun to write with their sibling relationship. Momma and Papa Morrison loved having her over!
> 
> Please do leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you liked about it! Theories are fun to hear about too!


	3. Growing Fonder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John makes breakfast.
> 
> Jack is not amused.
> 
> Jack introduces John to one of his barn cats.

Jack yawned as he got up around 9am, sleeping in a bit later than usual just for the hell of it since he still couldn’t harvest the rest of his crop until the insurance agent got back to him, and he already stored away the bit that his combine collected when he got home from shopping yesterday. Rain was on forecast for the next day or two and he had to get his machine into the barn to keep it dry. So, today would be a east cleaning day as he attended to John’s nee-

Was that bacon Jack was smelling as he stepped out of his bedroom?

He went to the bathroom to relieve himself and wash up before stepping back out into the hall once more and took a big whiff of the air; He smelled potatoes and bacon. Jack’s hand went to his rumbling stomach as he made his way to the staircase and descended, the sound of a radio playing a morning talk show as food sizzled and popped on a skillet in the kitchen. 

He peeked around the corner to see John, wearing the grey sweatshirt and pants Jack left in a pile by his door along with two other pairs in black and blue, for variety’s sake, along a package of socks and boxers, just to be nice. Jack’s eyes narrowed disapprovingly at the injured man being up and cooking breakfast when he should be sleeping and recovering. He stepped out from the shadows with his arms crossed over his chest and cleared his throat loudly to startle John from his task. John spun around in surprise, his injured arm thankfully still in a sling, looking oddly more alert than the previous day with his spatula raised to strike until he noticed it was Jack.

“Oh! Jack!” John sighed in relief as he lowered his cooking utensil, chuckling lightly. “Scared the shit out of me.”

Jack felt the corners of his lip threaten to lift into a smile but kept his them firmly pressed together to get across his disappointment to the other man. “You should be sleeping, John.”

John’s smile fell to a frown at that. “I tried but I was too hungry to go back to sleep.”

Jack quirked a brow suspiciously at that excuse. 

“I swear. I’ll go back to sleep after breakfast! Scout’s honor!” John insisted with a pleading look on his face that had Jack groaning in defeat. 

He brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance before stepping forward to close the distance between them and glances at what John was working with for breakfast. His jaw almost hit the floor from the large number of ingredients he had out on the counter, and the six giant breakfast burritos, wrapped securely in foil, he already had prepared for consumption on a serving plate. John was in the middle of filling burrito number seven before Jack yanked the spatula out of John’s hand.

“What are you feeding?! A whole army I don't know about, John?!” Jack spouted as he lightly pushed his way to the stove to shut off the flame. He then turned to look at John with annoyance. “It’s only you and me, Buddy. Angie and Amelie aren't being factored into the meal plans for a few days!”

John just blinked at Jack for a long moment before his eyes widened in realization. “Hold that thought!” He shouted before quickly shuffling his way out of the kitchen with an impressive amount of spunk for an injured guy and reappeared a few moments later as Jack was busy putting the cooked ingredients from the pan into a large tupperware container. Jack glanced over at him as he set his notebook down on the counter and started rapidly writing on a fresh page.

Ah. So, maybe he was used to cooking a large amount of food for breakfast and wanted to jot that revelation down? Interesting. Maybe he cooked a lot of food for his family in California?

Jack went to the fridge to put a large tupperware container on the counter before he started putting away the ingredients that went untouched by John’s cooking spree while he let the man have his peace to write to his heart’s content. He was going to have John help him clean up later to the best of his ability anyways. With all the the refrigerable items safely put away, Jack pulled out a bottle of mild hot sauce from the condiments rack and a jug of orange juice, using his foot to shut the door behind him.

John seemed pretty pleased as he set his pen down and stood back up. It was then that Jack realized, standing next to the man to set down the orange juice and bottle of hot sauce on the counter, that they were roughly the same height. Jack kind of found it funny as he gave John a smile as the man looked at him curiously, watching him go to the cabinet to fetch two glasses and set them down on the counter before closing the door.

“Remember something nice, John?” Jack asked happily as he picked up the glasses once more in each hand and went around John to set them down, reaching for the orange juice jug to fill them. He paused for a moment after he filled his own glass halfway up before looking at John. “You like orange juice?”

John nodded his head at that. “Yeah, I’ll take a glass.” He answered, Jack starting to fill the second glass as John regarded his first question. “I remembered how some people I work with like their eggs served. It’s not much but it’s worth writing down, right?” John looked at Jack for reassurance and Jack was more than eager to give him an encouraging smile.

“Of course! It’s one step closer to reunite you with your friends and family, John. I’m sure they’re worried sick about you.” 

Apparently, it wasn't the right answer since John just looked more bothered by it as he reached for his glass of orange juice once Jack was done filling it, giving him a ‘thanks’ before furrowing his brows deeply in thought. Jack felt guilt twist his stomach, not wanting John to feel like it was a bad thing that others were likely worrying over his disappearance. He just wanted to encourage him with positive feelings that come with thinking about family to jump start his memory but it did the opposite. 

Jack’s eyes drifted back to the pile of breakfast burritos and left John by the counter to retrieve them, sliding the serving plate down in front of John to draw him out of his thoughts with food. John looked at Jack curiously and Jack offered him an apologetic smile. 

“You said you were hungry, right? I’m feeling pretty parched too if you wanna sit down to eat together.”

John nodded his head, picking up his glass and the serving plate to take over to the table while Jack went to put the orange juice away in the fridge before grabbing his own glass and the hot sauce on his way back to the table. They took the same seats like the previous day at lunch and dinner. Jack waited for John to reach out and grab one of the burritos before reaching to grab his own, pulling the foil back to dab on some hot sauce and taking a bite.

It was good. Really good. 

The right amount of moisture without being too soggy, perfect balance of salt and pepper without being too overwhelming, especially with a bit of hot sauce added to the bunch. The bacon bits were nice and crispy to bite into while the flavor of the olive oil enhanced the taste of the meat. The omelet was delicious and fluffy as well! Jack’s eyes widen in amazement and looked over at John to see the other man looking at him anxiously. He swallowed down the bite he was chewing on and gave John a thumbs up with a huge smile.

“Shit’s good!”

John threw his head back hard in laughter at Jack’s blunt approval of his cooking in what was probably the most unexpected way from a guy that looked like and lived like Jack does. Jack snickered in amusement with a smug grin on his face, absolutely proud of himself for making John bark out in laughter like that before the guy suddenly clenched a hand over his side in pain, his laughs intertwined with painful whines as he tried to stop. 

Oh. Right. Bruised ribs.

“I’m so sorry.” Jack apologized weakly, still trying to ease his laughing fit so he wouldn’t seem like he found John’s pain amusing. John gave him a look and it had Jack squirming in his seat from playful the accusation in John’s gaze seemed to hold. “I’m trying to be serious here and you’re not making it easy, John!”

John grinned in amusement as he tried to get his breathing under control, letting out a ‘whew’ in relief when he finally stopped hurting himself. Jack just looked at him quizzically for a long moment to bother John enough to speak up. “What?”

“Oh. It’s just I figured you would be in more pain with bruised ribs and such. Guys I played football with in highschool made it seem like hell.” Jack explained as he set his burrito down to pick up his glass of orange juice to take a sip from it.

John hummed softly at that in thought before eyeing the hot sauce by Jack, the farmer sliding it over the table a bit so he could grab it without reaching and straining his injures anymore. “I think I’ve always had a high pain tolerance? Always had a bandaid somewhere on my body while growing up from what I remember. Probably broke all my limbs at one time or another.” He paused when Jack gave him a concerned look and waved his good hand dismissively with a laugh. “Not all at once, mind you!”

Jack sighed in relief at that and watched as John poured a decent amount hot sauce directly onto the tortilla shell of the burrito to stain it a light red before setting the bottle down firmly on the table. John then picked up the burrito with his free hand and took a giant bite out of it, looking quite satisfied as he let his eyes flutter shut as he happily savored it. Jack felt his lips curl upwards and brought his own burrito back up to indulge in its savory flavors and textures as well.

It wasn't until they were both working on their second burrito that John broke the comfortable silence between them that was previously filled with the local talk radio station hosts talking in the background about the upcoming Indiana State Fair.

“So,I assume we’re out in Indiana right now, Yes?” John asked for clarification as he started working the foil off the top part of his new burrito with his good hand, the broken one still secure in its sling.

Jack nodded his head as he poured some hot sauce directly onto his tortilla shell like John had been doing just so he wouldn't feel so awkward about having to do so in his state. He figured that John would ask him for help if he really did require assistance for a task anyways. “Yep. All the way out in the sticks.” Jack added with a smirk as he slid the hot sauce bottle over to John without being asked.

John grunted in thanks before he poured the sauce on and set the bottle aside, picking up his burrito around the foil-covered half. “Huh. Strange place to end up. I’m half surprised you didn't shoot me for breaking into your house.” He remarked casually before taking a bite.

Jack pondered that for a moment before swallowing the bite he was chewing on. “You remember why you were out here?”

John frowned at that, swallowed, and slowly shook his head. “Nah. Haven't locked in on anything related to that, yet. I’m sorry for scaring you, by the way. Assuming that I did, that is. I certainly would have shot me if I were in your shoes.”

Jack looked down at the delicious innards of his burrito and felt the corner of his lips lift up in amusement. “You were making breakfast and had the courtesy to share. Shit was confusing as all hell but it wasn't a malicious break-in.” He offered with a smile.

John looked at him like he was absolutely out of his mind before letting out a chuckle. “I really lucked out. Someone was watching over me, that’s for sure.”

Jack felt happy at hearing that kind of gratitude from a guy he wanted to believe has no ill intentions towards him as he recovered. Guilt from doing nothing that night really had a lasting effect on his consciousness and he was glad that he could do something to really make a difference. John won’t end up under a white sheet, carted away, and forgotten about like the pilot of the dropship. Not while Jack has any say-so.

“So, what do you remember about your current job and life? I have the feeling that you have a good grasp on who you are as a person and what your childhood was like.” Jack asked casually before taking a sip from his glass of orange juice.

John seemed more interest in eating his burrito and pouring more hot sauce on it as he chomped away at it. Jack was thinking he was avoiding the question until John reached to grab a third burrito off the serving plate to set down right in front of himself, working with his good hand to exposed the top half of the burrito. “Was in the US military, Army, as a Sergeant until I got pulled into a special program that I can’t talk about.” He remarked, the air of casualness leaving for a bit as John reached for the hot sauce bottle to shake onto the shell. 

Jack finished eating his second burrito and relaxed back in his chair, feeling content with the amount he ate and wanted to listen more to John’s story. “You remember how recent your stint in that project was?”

John shook his head at that.

Well, at least Jack knew he was part of the US Army and that “secret project’ part could possibly explain how part of a dropship ended up in his field with John staggering into his house early in the morning hours. Possibly a black ops assignment he was on? Whatever it was, it was a lot more reassuring than John being part of a drug cartel, or something worse, as hired muscle during a botched smuggling op.

“You think you might be able to ID your employer or something if I dug out the armor and outfit you were wearing under it?” 

John furrowed his brows in thought before shaking his head. “I think I should sleep on my thoughts more and see if something happens later tonight. My head is kind of jumping everywhere the more I think about things.” He tried to explain to Jack, genuinely seeming apologetic for the refusal and how suspicious it would come off. 

Jack felt pity for him but also had good reason to get down to the bottom with this whole mystery if his life could possibly be on the line. Amelie did have a very valid point but Jack wasn't going to force an injured man to speak if he just needed a few hours to rest up and then get to work on it.

“What about you?” 

Jack glanced up at John and quirked a brow at him.

“What about me?”

“I mean, what are you going to do today? I’ll be sawing some logs but where should I look for you if I need your help?” John clarified, Jack mouthing an ‘ah’ as he nodded his head in understanding.

“There’s rain in the forecast today and like hell will I deal with soaking wet clothing for the second time in a week.” Jack chuckled. “I’ll just be in the house cleaning or maybe go out to the barn an’ bring in one of the feral cats that like me.” He explained, smiling in amusement as John’s eyes widened.

“I know farms usually have feral cats to control the pest population but, they let you touch them?” John asked in amazement like so many other city slickers who came to the farm for the first time.

Jack felt a mischievous smile work it's way onto his lips.

\--

John was practically sobbing with ugly streaks of tears rolling down his cheeks as Jack deposited a freshly flea-bathed kitten onto the nest of blankets laid over the injured man to keep him warm in his bed. Momma calico cat was lazily curled up in the space between John’s legs on the blankets while she let Jack bath her shrieking little bundles of joy in a bucket filled with warm water, one by one, and scrub flea-killing shampoo onto each baby then dunk them in a fresh bucket of warm water while the other three waited in a deep cardboard box they couldn't climb out of. John was on towel duty as he gently grabbed the wet, crying kitten and set it in the towel to start ruffling the damp fur of the tiny kitten to dry it.

“You absolutely sure I’m not hurting it, Jack?” John asked nervously as the kitten being rubbed down against his chest and the one getting lathered up in shampoo in Jack’s hands continued to cry out loudly in protest. 

Jack grinned in amusement as he carefully dunked the little lathered up kitten into the bucket and scrubbing the suds off with his free hand, making sure to keep its head up and above the water. A rag would be used to gently trickle the suds off versus submerging the little one. “Believe me. Momma cat wouldn't be taking a snooze cruise between your legs if she thought you were actually hurting her kittens. She’s used to getting a flea bath before being allowed into the house and I think it’s important to get kittens used to being handled and bathed as well so I don't get lonely during the post-harvest season.” He explained from the floor as he gently scritched the kitten on the head and scruff to make sure he didn't miss any soap before standing up to switch out the kitten John was drying for the soaked one. Jack then placed the moderately dry babe on it’s mother, startling momma calico from her sleep as she made a ‘brrtt!’ noise but didn't move to run away. He grinned in amusement and brought a hand down to scritch momma on the head in apology for being a little shit, making her rev up the purr machine in response as she eyed Jack fondly.

“What the hell was that noise?” John asked with an incredulous chuckle as he started drying off kitten number two. 

“It’s a cat start-up noise. A purr-meow combo, if you will.” Jack grinned back at John as he continued to pet momma calico.

John smirked back at Jack in amusement in response. “Really? Sounds more like ‘why the hell are you dropping my kids on me while I’m trying to sleep, Asshole?’.”

Jack felt himself laugh at that before looking back at momma. “Is that true, Momma? Am I nothing but a no-good bully?” He cooed sweetly as he brought both of his hands down to scritch at her pretty cheeks to really get her inner Ferrari going, the little kitten crawling down its mother’s side while still loudly protesting the bath treatment.

Momma just continued to bathe in the affection Jack was smothering her with as John let out a bark of laughter that was quickly cut off by grunts of pain from his ribs. Jack just gave John a shit-eating grin at that as the injured man tried to scowl at him for making him laugh. ‘Tried’ being the keyword as John brought the kitten he was drying protectively to his cheek and turned away from Jack as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him. 

“You see that guy, Bartholomew?” John spoke as he gestured a finger in Jack’s direction. “He’s a skevy piece of shit and you can’t trust him worth a lick. Won't share his catnip, I heard.” He added as he ‘whispered’ to the crying kitten, shooting Jack several looks as Jack smugly continued pamper the calico mom.

“Do you hear that, Momma?” Jack gasped dramatically as he looked down at the cat that was practically melting in the affection Jack was giving her. “I bring you and your darlings here to cheer him up and he accuses me of hoarding catnip! How horrible!”

John grinned as he held out the sufficiently dried kitten and Jack removed one hand off of momma calico’s cheek to take the little babe and gently lay it down on the blanket near it’s crawling sibling. They continued to jab little accusations back and forth at each other until all four kittens and mother were flea-free and curled together between John’s legs. Jack sat at the foot of the bed and continued to pet momma calico when she laid back down on her side, her spine pressed up against John’s inner thigh. She was completely in heaven while her kittens explored the blanket and crawled over John’s legs.

“Is this heaven, Jack?” John asked with a wistful sigh as he stroked his finger down the spine of a little tortie kitten that was hanging out on his chest. “It feels like it.”

Jack internally thought that it just might be with the sweet expressions on John’s face that seemed to change dramatically from one to the other but he kept that to himself. Muscular men with kittens climbing all over them had to be a thing and Jack knew he was going to have to get a themed calendar or something that brought the concepts together. 

Just because… There’s nothing wrong with it at all!

“They say a cat’s purr has healing properties in it. I figured a momma and her little kittens would help speed up your recovery so you can help me clean their litter pan.” Jack teased with a sly grin, enjoying the way John groaned sarcastically at that, especially when Jack lifted a ginger tabby kitten to place on the injured man’s chest just to draw another choked sob from him.

“This is cruelty!” John whined as he lightly threw his head back against his very fluffy pillow. “How can I protect them if my good arm is sho- Shot…?” 

Jack blinked as he watched John’s face twist and his brows furrow. The man repeating ‘how can I protect them’ over and over in various scales of intensity from curious to an angry growl under his breath before lightening up. Maybe John was remembering something that the initially light-hearted declaration triggered unintentionally?

John hummed slightly in thought and Jack kept quiet as he continued to stroke momma calico’s head just to keep himself occupied while the injured man followed the rabbit in his mind. No need to break his concentration if it led him to a new memory about who he was. 

The spell didn’t last long as John’s expression waned to one of exhaustion and discontent. Jack frowned, pitying that nothing likely came from it and glanced back down at the loudly purring cat still laying down between John’s legs on the blanket. She was oblivious to John’s plight but felt comfortable enough around the stranger to let her kittens freely crawl all over him and settle down against the curve of his legs without much prompt. The fact that she was comfortable around him was a good sign that she felt he wasn’t a threat but you can’t one hundred percent rely on an animal’s instinct to be a good judge of character, much less John’s employers... 

Still… It was worth a few points, in Jack’s book. 

Assuming that momma and babies aren’t killed in the middle of the night, even when Jack has laid out alternatives in the room for momma to take her kittens, like the cat bed that was still in the box he transported them in. John wouldn’t be able to bend over without considerable pain so the space under the bed would be rather safe as well. He made a mental note to get some towels to lay out under it after he got a bowl of water and food for momma since he already had the litter tray in the back corner of the room, away from the bed. 

“You okay if I leave the door open a bit in case the momma cat wants to wander the house while you sleep?” Jack asked as he scooped up the third kitten and merely held it as he started petting the objecting little babe in his hand.

John looked back at Jack for a long moment, eyeing the crying kitten in his hand before his face scrunched up in agony. “No fair…! You can’t just hit a guy like that with two kinds of cute!”

Jack felt his face heat up under the implication that John thought he was cute and suffered from the same kind of weakness Jack felt when piling the kittens on the guy’s chest. Perhaps it was just a normal thing and Jack was just making a it bigger deal than necessary. He swallowed his glee at it but still had a small, telling smile on his face. “Says the guy with kittens climbing all over his chest.”

John cracked a smile at Jack that had the blonde’s blood pressure spiking. “Yeah, wonder who put them there in the first place, hm?” He teased in return before answering Jack’s question. “I don’t mind. Better than her meowing and pawing at the door to be let out while her kids nap with me.”

Jack smiled happily at that. “Alright.” He then placed the kitten back with it’s mother before getting up. “I’m gonna get some extra towels and the mother’s food and water. You want anything?”

“Yeah, some water would be nice.” John yawned, his hand reaching down to scoop up the kitten that clumsily rolled off his chest and onto the bed with a lopsided smile that had Jack holding his breath. 

Jack was glad that John didn’t notice him, and slipped out of the bedroom to retrieve the items and John’s glass of water. He made a deadly mistake of bringing momma cat and her kittens into John’s room. There was no way the sight was healthy for Jack’s heart as he felt it pounding rapidly in his chest from excitement. 

Too cute! 

John was too cute!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was one of my favorites to write. I cried imagining Gabe struggling to keep up with the kittens Jack kept passing to him and on the brink of gross sobbing like the dweeb he is. You guys hopefully caught on that Gabriel's personality is not altered at all by his amnesia and that this IS the gooey core Jack is easily drawing out from him. Smitten rhymes with kitten, after all!
> 
> Sorry for taking forever to post this chapter, I wanted to make sure I had sufficiently dug into what I wanted the following one to be about before delivering this one. 
> 
> Please DO leave a review if you enjoy the fic! I REALLY REALLY wanna know what you thought about it since its my current most favorite!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a review if you like the premise and the chapter! Been holding on to this fic for months and I'm nervous about finally revealing it to you guys!


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